Shinto in Taiwan
Encyclopedia
Taiwan under Japanese rule
Between 1895 and 1945, Taiwan was a dependency of the Empire of Japan. The expansion into Taiwan was a part of Imperial Japan's general policy of southward expansion during the late 19th century....
of Taiwan in 1895 when the Empire of Japan
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
brought their state religion
State religion
A state religion is a religious body or creed officially endorsed by the state...
, Shinto
Shinto
or Shintoism, also kami-no-michi, is the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. It is a set of practices, to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written...
, to the island. The Taiwanese
Taiwanese people
Taiwanese people may refer to individuals who either claim or are imputed cultural identity focused on the island of Taiwan and/or Taiwan Area which have been governed by the Republic of China since 1945...
were encouraged to adopt the religion in 1937 as the Empire of Japan
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
began to intensify its expansionist policy
Nanshin-ron
The was a political doctrine in the pre-WW2 Japan which stated that Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands were Japan's sphere of interest and that the potential value to the Japanese Empire for economic and territorial expansion in those areas was greater than elsewhere.This political doctrine...
in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and used Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
as its base into southeast Asia. Of the Taiwanese who lost their lives fighting for the Japanese Emperor until the Empire's defeat in 1945, a total of 27,863 are recorded in the Book of Souls and enshrined as heroes (英霊 eirei) in Yasukuni Shrine
Yasukuni Shrine
is a Shinto shrine located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is dedicated to the soldiers and others who died fighting on behalf of the Emperor of Japan. Currently, its Symbolic Registry of Divinities lists the names of over 2,466,000 enshrined men and women whose lives were dedicated to the service of...
in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Japanese colonial rule
Between 1919-1936, the colonial government in TaiwanGovernor-General of Taiwan
The position of Governor-General of Taiwan existed when Taiwan and the Pescadores were part of the Empire of Japan, from 1895 to 1945.The Japanese Governors-General were members of the Diet, civilian officials, Japanese nobles or generals...
began compulsory education of Taiwanese and emphasized cultural assimilation
Cultural assimilation
Cultural assimilation is a socio-political response to demographic multi-ethnicity that supports or promotes the assimilation of ethnic minorities into the dominant culture. The term assimilation is often used with regard to immigrants and various ethnic groups who have settled in a new land. New...
. In 1937, the Japanese Empire began the Kōminka Movement in Taiwan (皇民化運動 kōminka undō), a policy of converting and fully integrating the Taiwanese as Japanese citizens. This was to be achieved by denying the Taiwanese of their Chinese heritage though the adoption of Japanese name
Japanese name
in modern times usually consist of a family name , followed by a given name. "Middle names" are not generally used.Japanese names are usually written in kanji, which are characters of usually Chinese origin in Japanese pronunciation...
s and through use of the Japanese language
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
as their mother tongue (国語 kokugo); adopting Japanese aspects of life such as Japanese clothing
Japanese clothing
The various traditional ethnic garments worn in Japan are still in use, they are mainly worn for ceremonies and special occasions- like weddings or festivals. Both men and women favor "western-style" clothing in their daily lives- due to the comparative convenience and the influx of global...
, Japanese cuisine
Japanese cuisine
Japanese cuisine has developed over the centuries as a result of many political and social changes throughout Japan. The cuisine eventually changed with the advent of the Medieval age which ushered in a shedding of elitism with the age of shogun rule...
, and Shinto
Shinto
or Shintoism, also kami-no-michi, is the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. It is a set of practices, to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written...
. The use of Chinese dialects and practice of Chinese customs were discouraged and Chinese-language schools were closed. The Japanese sought to convert the aborigines by promoting the story of Sayon
Sayon's Bell
was a 1943 black-and-white Japanese film directed by Hiroshi Shimizu and based on the true story of a 17-year old Atayal girl called Sayun Hayun from Nan'oku village, Giran district, Taihoku Prefecture who went missing and thought to have drowned whilst helping carry the luggage of her teacher...
as a patriotic Taiwanese.
Shinto shrines
The first Shinto shrine to be established in Taiwan was the Kaizan Shrine in Tainan Prefecture in 1897 but the most notable was the Taiwan Shrine in Taihoku PrefectureTaihoku Prefecture
Taihoku Prefecture was created in 1920 under Japanese rule, encompassing what is now New Taipei City, Taipei City, Keelung City and Yilan County. Its office, which is now occupied by the Control Yuan of the Republic of China, was in Taipei City...
(now Taipei
Taipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
) which was built in 1901 to honor Prince Kitashirakawa Yoshihisa
Prince Kitashirakawa Yoshihisa
of Japan, was the 2nd head of a collateral branch of the Japanese imperial family.- Early life :Prince Kitashirakawa Yoshihisa was the ninth son of Prince Fushimi Kuniye . He entered the Buddhist priesthood under the title Rinnoji-no-miya...
who died from illness whilst on a mission in Tainan to subjugate the Taiwanese rebellion. In 1932, Crown Prince Hirohito
Hirohito
, posthumously in Japan officially called Emperor Shōwa or , was the 124th Emperor of Japan according to the traditional order, reigning from December 25, 1926, until his death in 1989. Although better known outside of Japan by his personal name Hirohito, in Japan he is now referred to...
(later Shōwa Emperor) visited Taiwan on a tour to celebrate his inauguration as regent. In total, 204 Shinto shrines were built throughout Taiwan, but only 66 were officially sanctioned by the state.
See also
- List of Shinto shrines in Taiwan
- Taiwan under Japanese ruleTaiwan under Japanese ruleBetween 1895 and 1945, Taiwan was a dependency of the Empire of Japan. The expansion into Taiwan was a part of Imperial Japan's general policy of southward expansion during the late 19th century....
- Political divisions of Taiwan (1895-1945)Political divisions of Taiwan (1895-1945)As per the Treaty of Shimonoseki of 1895, Taiwan fell under Japanese rule after the First Sino-Japanese War. The political divisions changed frequently between 1895 and 1898. There were still several changes until the Japanese political system was adopted in 1920...
- Governor-General of TaiwanGovernor-General of TaiwanThe position of Governor-General of Taiwan existed when Taiwan and the Pescadores were part of the Empire of Japan, from 1895 to 1945.The Japanese Governors-General were members of the Diet, civilian officials, Japanese nobles or generals...
- Formosan Army
- TenrikyoTenrikyoTenrikyo is a monotheistic religion originating in revelations to a 19th-century Japanese woman named Nakayama Miki, known as Oyasama by followers...